DESCRIPTION, OVERALL (provided by applicant): The University of Pennsylvania's Digestive Diseases Research Core Center (DDRCC), entitled Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases (CMSDLD), has been funded since 1997. This competing grant proposal continues to unite investigators from multiple disciplines for integrative digestive, live and pancreatic based research. The research base includes investigators organized in the following three interrelated scientific affinity groups: (l) Developmental biology and regenerative medicine, (2) lmmunobiology and host responses, and (3) Cell growth and differentiation. The research base consists of 58 members, with interrelated scientific programs, and represents a spectrum of Departments, Centers, Institutes, and Schools at the University of Pennsylvania and surrounding Institutions. In addition, there is a young investigator base of 11 associate members, whose own individual programs and career development are nurtured by the Center. Center members are supported by $27,301,051 in digestive-diseases related NIH research funding, of which 60% is through NIDDK. A fundamental goal of our Center is to foster interdisciplinary research that leads to a cooperative understanding of the molecular and biochemical processes that form, regulate, and operate digestive tract, pancreatic and liver organs and their organizing tissues in health and disease. In this context, our intent is to utiliz the Center as a means to develop innovative ideas by attracting and engaging established investigators into digestive, liver and pancreatic research. An equally important goal of the Center is to develop young investigators in this research. Four highly successful Scientific Core facilities are designed to provide digestive-specific services for the stimulation of collaborative research: Molecular Biology/Gene Expression, Molecular Pathology and Imaging, Transgenic and Chimeric Mouse and Cell Culture. An Administrative Core directs the fiscal and organizational aspects of the Center, including the coordination and publicity of the scientific cores, pilot and feasibility (P/F) grant program, academic enrichment program and Internal/External Advisory committees. Our DDRCC's aggregate functions maintain the digestive, liver and pancreatic programs at the forefront of biomedical science.